Living Soils of the Americas reports on the results of its efforts to protect this vital resource for food security and environmental sustainability

SAN JOSE, 28 April 2023 (IICA) – Now 28 months after its inception, the Living Soils of Americas program has achieved concrete results and is raising awareness about the importance of soil health for food security in the hemisphere and globally.
 
Various public and private stakeholders attested to this fact during a meeting of members of the committees that are managing the program, which is being undertaken by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and award-winning scientist Rattan Lal, who heads the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (CMASC) at The Ohio State University.
 
The project, launched in December 2020, has given rise to a powerful coalition that is tackling the degradation of soil—an essential resource for health and life—already achieving concrete and tangible results. The project brings together science, public policy, the private sector and efforts to restore soil in the Hemisphere, the deterioration of which is threatening the position of Latin America and the Caribbean as the guarantor of global food security.
 
The meeting was an accountability exercise, in which the main achievements were presented and a roadmap was set out for the rest of 2023.
 
Major companies in the agrifood sector, such as Bayer, Syngenta and PepsiCo, are a part of the program, which is taking place in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay, supported by the ministries of Agriculture of the countries.
 
Employing the best management approaches, the project encapsulates technical cooperation and the involvement of governments, international organizations, universities, the private sector and civil society organizations to assist in curbing land degradation and agricultural processes that are depleting the organic matter in soils – a natural resource that is critical for life.
 
IICA and CMASC are promoting Living Soils of the Americas, based on the premise that, as a matter of necessity, we must introduce land management practices and incentives to transform agricultural systems into ecosystems that sequester more carbon in the soils, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation.  
 
A problem with a social impact
 
Professor Lal indicated that degradation, deforestation and overgrazing are phenomena that have depleted soil health in Latin America and the Caribbean, with grave social consequences, given that small farmers are among the poorest sectors of the population.
 
The scientist explained that greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), due to changes in land use, account for 42% of the region’s total emissions and the program is aiming to maximize soil recovery, foster the reduction of carbon emissions arising from deforestation and strengthen soil carbon sequestration.
 
He said that, “Soils are part of the solution to food and environmental security issues and farmers play a key role in preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change”.
 
Lal also explained that drought has become a serious problem that has affected a vast expanse of South America, from the Amazons to the Andes, including Patagonia. This demonstrates the importance of the Living Soils of the Americas project to foster food, climate and water security.

He also stressed the value of active private sector participation in the initiative, as it plays a critical role in translating science into action. He pointed out that, “They are very important in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the private sector, the project is implementing actions to combat climate change and to ensure that the soil serves as a carbon sink”.
 
Alessandra Fajardo, Bayer’s Head of Food Chain Partnerships for Latin America, gave details on the Pro Carbon program that the company launched in Brazil to foster soil carbon sequestration.
 
She reported that, “We are working with 1,900 farmers in 16 states, which are advised on best practices by specialists that they themselves choose. The first benefit in following this program is the improved quality of the soil, and as a result, greater productivity. Farmers then begin to see the immediate difference in their pockets, in addition to the prospects of selling carbon credits later on. 
 
Javier Peris, AgroEcosystem Technical Manager at Syngenta, revealed that the company is pursuing several projects involving soil conservation. For example, he gave details on the Livingro project – an initiative that is underway in six countries and that encourages farmers to apply specific best practice protocols for a variety of crops.
 
Peris pointed out that, “These are sustainable or favorable agricultural practices that we have been able to develop and improve by generating data in collaboration with 15 research institutions in the countries, considering that the problem is that we often have insufficient information”.
 
Lloyd Day, IICA’s Deputy Director General commended those who have been driving the project and stated that a large share of the agriculture sector in Latin America is working to restore land and watersheds.
 
“The agrifood system is not a failed system—he insisted—as it feeds billions of people throughout the world each day. By working with companies and universities, we can improve the sector to reduce the impact on the planet and to combat the climate crisis”.
 
Mission accomplished
 
Manuel Otero indicated that Living Soils of the Americas is strategically important for IICA and that the program has been gradually achieving the proposed objectives in the 28 months since it was launched.
 
The IICA Director General stated that, “The platform was created to raise critical awareness in the countries of the fact that if we do not seriously address the soil degradation problem, all other efforts to achieve food security will be futile”.
 
“We are mapping out the main policies of the countries, starting by exchanging experiences in soil recovery. This is a step in the right direction. Of course, that does not mean that degradation in the region—30% of the land area on average—is declining. However, there is a growing awareness of the fact that as degradation increases, so too does poverty, and the only escape for vulnerable sectors is to abandon these degraded areas”, he added.
 
He concluded by saying that, “We have reason to be cautiously optimistic, confident that by working together we can reverse this serious problem”.
 
Also representing IICA at the Living Soils of the Americas meeting were Federico Villarreal, Director of Technical Cooperation and Institute specialists Kelly Witkowski and Francisco Mello.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int